


Longing

by AnUnknownForeignBeauty



Series: After the Epilogue [2]
Category: The Daevabad Trilogy - S. A. Chakraborty
Genre: Ali and Nahri has a child, Empire of gold spoilers, F/M, Family, Longing, M/M, Muntadhir and Jamshid longs for a child, after the epilogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24996586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnUnknownForeignBeauty/pseuds/AnUnknownForeignBeauty
Summary: He was afraid he was never getting that. His life with Jamshid….well, he was happy with his choice. Still someplace in his mind, Muntadhir realized, he longed for a child of his own.
Relationships: Jamshid e-Pramukh/Muntadhir al Qahtani, Nahri e-Nahid/Alizayd al Qahtani
Series: After the Epilogue [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1803742
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Longing

Muntadhir watched his little brother through the meeting.

The meeting was an exceptionally boring and long one, and Muntadhir had obviously lost his concentration in the middle. Truth to be told, meetings and negotiations were never really his thing, although he was supposed to take the throne after his father. But if that really happened, Muntadhir would prefer a glass of excellent grape wine in his hand and letting his viziers deal with these chattering delegates, rather than actually participating in one. But he had to say that his little brother Alizayd had an excellent talent for not falling asleep in the middle of these boring conversations. Although he had his mysterious marid ambassador look on him that gained him a bit of advantage, also a cunning wife.

But today nothing was in Alizayd’s favor. The meeting was getting longer and longer without any successful conclusion, and his little brother was struggling to balance a sleeping baby in his one arm, and a quill poised in another. Nahri had unceremoniously dumped their three-month-old daughter in her husband’s arms with an excuse to attend a very difficult surgery at the hospital.

“Poor, Zaydi.” Muntadhir clicked his tongue sympathetically sipping from his wine glass. His baby brother might excel in many things, but conducting a meeting and attending his baby daughter simultaneously was not really his forte. An Aynale delegate suggested something useful, and Ali decided to note it down, but the sudden movement jolted his baby girl awake. A sharp cry tore through the meeting as the baby was awoken, and Ali immediately dropped his quill to cradle his daughter in both of his arms, rubbing her back soothingly, and whispering some prayers in her tiny ears. It was certainly not working. Ali tried to rock the baby back and forth only to make her wail louder."Hush, love." Ali whispered letting out a frustrated sigh, " Everybody is watching. It is an important political meeting." The corners of Muntadhir's lips rose in a smirk at his brother's attempt to talk politics to his three-month-old daughter. The girl only stared at her father with her large eyes and cried louder. Muntadhir was aware of the irritated glances his brother got from the delegates for this sudden interruption.

“Can you just let someone get your daughter to your wife, Prince Alizayd?” An Agnivangshi delegate spoke up finally, “Meetings are not certainly a place of childcare, especially not for men.”

Ali’s yellow eyes glowed brighter at the comment, and Muntadhir laughed when the Agnivangshi fell silent. His brother really had such an effect sometimes with his strange appearance and glowing eyes. “My wife is busy with difficult surgery.” He almost spat his words to the delegate, but his eyes grew softer as he became aware of the effect of his strange appearance. It was not certainly good for negotiating deals. “Excuse me,” He cradled his daughter carefully in his arms, and rose to leave the meeting.

“Let me get her, Zaydi,” Ali was surprised to find his older brother standing by his side, ready to take his niece, “You can go on with the meeting.”

“Dhiru?” Ali was surprised with this unexpected help, but looked grateful.” He glanced at the baby now drooling over his grey dishdasha, eyes puffy from crying. “You don’t need to…”

He sounded apologetic. So like Alizayd .

Muntadhir laughed, “Ah, Zaydi, I used to carry you around when you were smaller than her.” He carefully slipped his one hand under the infant’s head, another under her bum. “Don’t worry Zaydi, I will not feed her wine. Besides, I was falling asleep anyway.”

“But…” Alizayd tried to protest but looked relieved. “Thank you, Dhiru. “ He grinned.

“Don’t try to make the meetings longer.” Muntadhir grinned back to his bother as he headed towards the door, “Or I will feed her wine for sure.”

The door led to the gardens outdoors- the orange groove. A garden with many memories and many secrets. A gentle breeze blew to his face, and Muntadhir took a deep breath, his baby niece felt soft in his arms.

He settled down at the foot of an orange tree, his baby niece carefully balanced in his arms. He settled down his wine glass beside him and leaned against the tree trunk. She was now watching the scenery around her with her wide grey eyes, simultaneously drooling over his fancy embroidered robe. Muntadhir took another deep breath.

He took a sip from the imported wine, and let out a content sigh. It had been five years …five years since the nightmare.

It was really good to be alive after everything.

“You know, Amirah,” Muntadhir looked down at the little girl in his arms, “Your father and I were used to playing here. He was already good with his toy sword even when he was this high…” Muntadhir tried to show the height of his baby brother with his hand over the ground, “But now he is even taller than me.”

Amirah stared at him with her warm grey eyes. His eyes….his brother’s, his father’s….Sometimes Muntadhir really missed the shared family trait.

“Also we used to be rivals too.” He sighed, “That is a long story. Want to hear?”

Amirah let out a little yawn, happily drooling over his expensive robes. Muntadhir noticed the wet patch over his new cloth and immediately shifted her to his other arm, “Oh, no…don't do that.” He warned. The baby let out a little annoyed cry and blinked. The wine in his glass rose up in the air immediately, sloshing all over his face. Muntadhir could feel his expensive wine running down over his eyebrows.

“God…” He wiped his face with his sleeve, staining it more, “Why do you need to do that to me?”

The baby in his arms giggled. Muntadhir scowled. “You have an awful sense of humor, you know. Although your father doesn’t have any. I guess you got that from your mother.”

The baby gave him a broad toothless grin and then continued to drool happily over his robe. Muntadhir sighed and continued to hold her close. A strange sense of peace washed over him. Sometimes….sometimes…he realized as he looked at his tiny niece’s face, now sleeping peacefully in his arms…he longed for a tiny creature-a child of his own, holding close to his chest.

He was afraid he was never getting that. His life with Jamshid….well, he was happy with his choice. Still someplace in his mind, Muntadhir realized, he longed for a child of his own.

“But we have you.” He smiled at the little girl in his arms, kissing her forehead. He rested his head against the tree trunk and closed his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kuddos will bring joy to the writer.  
> This will be a two or three chaptered story, set five years after the epilogue. Next chapter will be from Jamshid's POV.


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